BOERNE, Texas — A Boerne centenarian has been driving for nearly a century. He just renewed his driver’s license one last time.
101-year-old Thomas “Ed” Davis is a World War II and Korean War veteran born and raised on a small farm in Gatesville, a town 40 miles west of Waco.
Friday, the father of five invited us over to share the joy of his independence.
“Can we roll with you, sir?” we asked while sitting with Davis at a game table in his home.
“Sure,” he replied. “A short trip or a long trip?”
To Davis, the accomplishment of passing his driver’s license exam doesn’t excite him as much as others. Regardless, he’s glad to have it.
“Driving is not that important to me now,” said Davis. “All my children are here pretty close.”
Just like other Texans 85 years or older, he renews his driver license every two years.
“I guess I probably did it to see if I could!” he said. “Wasn’t much to it, really. I filled out a form, they held up a card and said, ‘Can you read that?’ I could read it, so there I was.”
Davis isn’t the first centenarian driver in his family. His older brother set the bar.
“He had gotten his driver’s license I think at 103,” Davis explained, adding that his brother lived to be 105. His mother was also a centenarian.
Davis’s vehicle of choice: a Chevy pickup.
We hopped in for a ride and he made certain to check on his passengers.
“Y’all scared back there?” he asked us, everyone laughing in response.
When he considered all of the cars he’s seen in his lifetime, Davis said he had a soft spot for the ’55 Oldsmobile. He remembers the excitement seeing the Oldsmobile manufacturer come out with the curved windshield. Davis loved the car so much, he bought himself one — even if he couldn’t afford it at the time.
“Just one of those things you do!” he said.
In contrast, we asked what he thought of a newer model car, such as the Tesla Cybertruck. He wasn’t too impressed, saying he’s sticking with his trusty Chevy to get him around.
“Chevy’s always been my favorite of the trucks,” he said.
Davis studied architectural engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Subsequently, he started his own construction business where he drove many trucks in his career. He built and worked on many buildings throughout his time, the most notable being pavilions for HemisFair ’68 and construction for Southwestern Bell.
“What are you hauling around these days?” we asked him.
“Well, I went and got some lumber yesterday,” he replied, saying Home Depot is one of his regular stops.
Overall, Davis keeps his trips short, sticking around the Boerne area.
“I go to HEB sometimes. There’s a Dollar General here up the highway,” he added.
The pressing question: Does he drive the speed limit?
“Not really,” he said.
“A bit under?” we asked.
“Quite a bit,” Davis replied.
In 2026, Davis will be up for renewal again at the age of 103. He says when that day arrives, he’ll likely decide it’s time to hand over the keys.
“It’s ok. It’s not a big thing in my life,” he explained. “I have a lot of help here to drive me around when I need to go.”
As for his driving record, its pretty spotless. Davis says he has nothing more than the occasional speeding ticket.
But that was a long time ago.